Baisha Village

What to See in Lijiang

Baisha Village is located 10 kilometers north of Lijiang’s Old Town, facing Jade Dragon Mountain to the north, Shuhe Old Town in the south and Zhishan Mountain in West. Baishan Village is the birthplace of “Tusi”, chief of the Mu clan. The city’s distinctive white sand, known as “baisha” in Chinese, is responsible for the village’s name.

Baisha Village has much to offer visitors, with its delicately arched bridges, azure-blue sky, and cozy warm sunshine, not to mention the unparalleled tranquility that Lijiang Old Town is hard to find in Lijiang. The village works hard to maintain the traditional lifestyle of the native Naxi ethnic minorities which they have practiced for countless centuries. Sitting along the street and enjoying the sunshine is a terrific experience enjoyed by many visitors over the years. On the street an observer may witness groups of horses loading charcoal descending from the mountains, dark-skin Naxi farmers smiling as they work, cattle teams pulling slowly making their way through the street, and diligent Naxi women carrying clusters of timber backing home; sights you cannot admire anywhere else in the world.

Old Town Baishai is home to the inspiring murals of Lijiang. These murals were created during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and are nationally protected cultural relics, among which the murals in Dabaoji Palace are the most massive in scale. The palace hosts 12 murals comprised of 167 images of religious themes including the Rulai Buddha, Four Heavenly Kings, Three Hevajras of Lamaisms, among many others. The murals are uniquely shaped, having vivid in facial expressions, finely crafted in dynamic colors, and harmoniously combine elements of Buddhism, Taoism, and Lamaism. Some murals depict people hunting, fishing, forging iron, chopping timber, and weaving.  Others illustrate running horses, blooming flowers, lavish forests, countryside households, flying birds and shuttling fishes are all vividly painted in the murals.